It was essentially necessary that our blessed Lord should be legally the son of Joseph; virtually the son of Mary; really the Son of God; and all three meet in Matthew 1, in such a way as to evoke from our souls accents of wonder, love, and praise. We can only exclaim as we read such a record, "0 the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God." If our Lord were not legally the son of Joseph, He could not claim the throne of David. If He were really his son, He could claim nothing at all.